‘Democracy has come to stay,’ Atiku says after voting in ADC presidential primary

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has declared that “democracy has come to stay” in Nigeria after casting his ballot in the ongoing African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary election.

The ADC presidential primary is being held across 8,809 wards nationwide as party members vote to choose the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election.

Abubakar voted at Ajiya Ward in Jimeta, Yola, Adamawa State, where he addressed journalists after participating in the exercise.

“The turnout is a clear indication of how party members are willing to participate in the ADC internal democratic processes,” he said.

“I have no doubt that democracy has come to stay.”

The former vice-president is contesting the ADC presidential ticket alongside Rotimi Amaechi and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.

In a post shared on X, Abubakar described the primary election as “a major step in our quest to recover our beloved country and set it on the path of prosperity.”

Abubakar, a former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), defected to the ADC in 2025 ahead of the 2027 elections.

Last month, he announced that the 2027 presidential election would be his final attempt to become Nigeria’s president after multiple bids dating back to the 1990s.